Well cement mixer



Aug. 7, 1934- J. E. PIPES El AL WELL CEMENT MIXER Filed Jan. 30, 1934TIE. 3.3

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ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 7, 1934 1,969,533 WELL CEMENT mxn'n I Joseph E.Pipes and Robert a. wmamcreumi, Tex., assignors to Southwest cementingCorporation, a corporation of Application January :0, 1934, Serial No.109,024

2 Claims. (Cl. ass-1a) This invention relates to cement mixers, and itcement feeding mechanism along lines 3-3 of has particular reference toa machine wherein Figure 1. the ingredients may be introduced into amixing Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the varichamber in a novelmanner and in controlled able speed drive for the water control.predetermined relationship, producing a mass Proceeding with a moredetailed description 90 of the requisite state of fluidity for thepurposes of the drawing, 1 is a housing shown as cylinintended and beinga continuation in part of the drical, and which comprises the body orbarrel application of Joseph E. Pipes, filed Sept. 10, of the mixerwhichfmay be supported by con- 1932, Serial No. 632,471, for Cementmixing apventional means, not shown or mounted upon paratus, theapplicant being one of the joint any suitable conveyance such as atruck, as de- 55 inventors executing this applicant. sired. Through thebarrel 1, a shaft 2 is cen- One of the'objects of the invention is toprotrally disposed, and is suitably journalled as at vide a machineparticularly adapted to provide 3 and 4 by bearings supported bybrackets 5 a maximum quantity of readily fluid mixture, in and 5'mounted upon the ends of the mixer a short period of time, having auniform, prebarrel 1. To secure against leakage of the con- 70determined, controlled and readily reguiatable tents of the mixerpacking glands 6. and 6 may consistency, for uses, such for example, asthe be provided forshaft 2 at points where it passes cementing of oilwells, wherein frequently the through the end walls of the mixer 1.demand is for a consistent mixture at the un- 'Shaft2 carries a seriesof paddles or blades 0 failing rate of two tons per minute. 7-7 of suchcontour that 'upon rotation of the -A more particular object of theinvention is to shaft, the contents of the barrel 1 will be movedprovide for the introduction into the mixing longitudinally thereof, andwhen driven in the chamber of the requisite quantity of water, atdirection of normal operationwill move the inthe earliest possiblemoment with the cement, gredientsprogressively from the point ofinwithout interference with the introduction of troduction to the pointofdischarge, ,as well as f the latter, and the further provision of amachine performing the further function of properly mixwherein themixture will be properly mixed and ing them. An outlet 8 is provided forthe mixconveyed to a point of discharge. ture through which it isdischarged into the re- The mixture is then deposited in a receptacleceptacle 9 from. which it is conveyed by pumps from which it may readilybe picked up by a into. the well or other point of placement, 10suitable pump or pumps and introduced into a I being a pipe throughwhich the mixture is drawn well. a from the receptacle by the pump.

It is well to bear in mind in considering the A hopper 11 into whichcement, containing the salient features of the invention that the cementset accelerator, is deposited has a discharge 5 or the mixture ischarged with an element opening 12 to which is suitably joined a skirtwhereby the setting of the cement mixture is portion 13 which projectsinto a spout 14, segreatly. accelerated, and the time elapsingbecured'to the upper portion of barrel 1 adjacent tween the initialbringing together of the eleits end opposite the discharge 8. It will benoted ments composing the mixture and its introducthat the skirt 13 andthe spout 14 have been tion into the well is necessarily the shortestposshown as circular in shape but other shapes such sible moment of timein which the various operas oblong or rectangular may be employed asdeations may be accomplished. sired without departing from the spirit ofthe The several novel features of the invention invention. It will bealso noted that the spout are directed to the accomplishment of thefore- 14 acts as a baiile to the water flowing from going and otherresults in a novel and practical pipe 33 hereinafter more fully to bedescribed.

way, with the minimum of parts, simple in ar- Through skirt 13 a shaft15 is projected, suprangement and practical of results, which mayported. by journals 16 secured to' the skirt, all be readily understoodby those skilled in the art above the discharge end of the latter whichis from the following description together with the adjacent the upperside of barrel 1, and inside accompanying drawing, in which likereferences the receiving spout 14 of the mixer. To shaft denote similarelements, wherein: 15 inside skirt 13, a valve 16 is mounted, ro- Figure1 is a longitudinal schematic view, partatable with shaft 15 and sodesigned as to pretially in section of the entire apparatus. vent theflow of cement by gravity into the mixer Figure 2 is an end elevation,-

barrel 1, and to feed positively the cement there- 55 Figure 3 is afragmentary detail view of the into. As the shaft 15 is rotated and thevalve 22 about the skirt 13.

16 is driven, valve 16 also acts to prevent a bridging orclogging of thecement in'the hopper and skirt.

Shaft 2 may be driven from any suitable source as by an engine fromwhich a drive chain,

. not shown, is passed over sprocket 17 which latter may be keyed toshaft 2. Shaft 2 is provided with fixed sprocket 18 over which drivechain 19 passes, over sprocket 20 which latter is keyed to shaft 15whereby the latter shaft and yalve 16 is driven. It will be understoodthat by employing sprockets 18 and 20 of the desired sizes the cementmay be metered into the mixing barrel 1 at the ratio desired, withreference to the speed of rotation of the shaft 2.

About the receiving spout 14 and skirt 13 a housing 21 is providedforming a water chamber 22 between the housing and skirt 13. The housingextends above spout 14 to provide an overflow passage 23 for the waterfrom chamber 22 whereupon it may pass downwardly about- 29 is slidablymounted, but keyed thereto so that shaft 27 may be driven at differentspeeds as desired, by the simple movement of the spool of gears by handlever 30 so as to cause gears 25 and 28 to intermesh, or gears 26 and29, or to move the spool of gears into a'neutral position if desired sothat the rotation or nonrotation of shaft 27-with relation to therotation of shaft 15'may be manually regulated. Lever 30 may forconvenience, project through slot 31 in box 24, while slot 31 may beprovided with depressions in its edge for receiving lever 30 whereby thespool gears are secured against movement laterally of shaft 27. Gear box24 may be supported by any suitable means as by bracket 39 secured tothe housing 21.

A tank32 is provided for containing a quantity of water (to which a setaccelerator may be added if desired) and a pipe 33 is used to conductthis liquid from the tank into the chamber It will be noted. that pipe3'3conducts the water into chamber 22 at a point below the-upper end ofspout 14, which latter acting as a baille to the flow of the watercauses it to flow evenly about the chamber 22 from which it willoverflow evenly about the lower end of the skirt 13 and into the mixer"1', thus providing an even flow of the water into the mixer about thecolunm of cement as the latter is introduced into the mixer. A handoperable valve 34 isprovidedin pipe 33 whereby the flow of liquid fromthe tank may be shut off if desired. A metering device 35 (aconventional character) is provided in pipe 33, mounted upon orconnected to shaft 27 whereby regulation of the quantity of liquidintroduced into the mixing barrel through water chamber 22 is obtained.The metering device being responsive to the flow of water, bygravity,through pipe 33, the geared control of its action being such as toretard its movement to that permissible by the rotation of shaft 27which in turn is controlled by the shaft 15 when the gearing in box 24is in mesh. When shaft 27 is secured against rotation, as when the gearsof box 24 are in mesh and the machine is not in motion; the,

- ous elements is such that the water from the tank 32 will fiow bygravity through meter 35 into reservoir 22 and into themixer 1, and thatmeter 35 may operate freely when the gears of box 24 are out of mesh andwithout relation to the rotation of shaft 15.

It will be further noted that the liquid and cement are brought togetherin metered quantities at the point each is introduced into the mixer asthe valve 16 is of predetermined capacity, when operated atpredetermined or known speed and for this purpose a register ofconventional form (not shown) may be employed to determine the number ofrevolutions of the shaft 15;

It will be still further noted and appreciated by those skilled in theart that the cement has a free passage downwardly through the skirt 13after passing valve 16 not coming into contact with the water until theactual discharge of both into the mixing barrel 1,and that at the momentof such disharge, the water is dis-' charged uniformly, all about thecolumn of cement entering the mixing. chamber which very greatlyfacilitates the thorough intermingling and mixing of the ingredientsinto a uniform mass in the shortest possible time.

The method of operation is as follows:

A suitable clutch mechanism, if desired, may be placed between the powersource and the shaft 2, or the machine may be started inthe normal andusual manner while valve 34 is closed, which latter is openedsimultaneously with the deposit of cement in hopper 11 so that the waterpasses through meter 35 thence into reservoir 22 and down about theskirt 13 to there mingle with and surround the column of cement as itdischarges into the mixer barrel 1 after passing valve 16, the gears inbox 24 having been duly'enmeshed for the controlling of the gravity flowof the water through pipe 33. Blades 7 thoroughly mixing the contents ofthe barrel 1 and moving it forward to and through the discharge spout 8into receptacle 9 from which point it is taken by the pump through pipe10 and introduced into the well.

Manifestly, the construction shown is capable of considerablemodifications without departing from the scope of the invention and allsuch modifications as are possible within the meaning of the appendedclaims are intended to be claimed therein.

What is claimed is:

1. A cement mixer comprising an elongated mixing chamber having anupwardly projecting inlet spout and an outlet, agitating means arrangedwithin the chamber and operative to mix andmove laterally the contentsthereof,.a hopper disposed above and having a skirt portion projectinginto the spout and providing therewith a water passage to said chamber,a housing defining a chamber surroundingand above the spout, means forpassing a predetermined quantity of cement into the mixing chamberthrough the skirt portion, said means ineluding a rotary valveoperatively disposed in the skirt portion above the housing and drivingmeans for said valve, and means driven by and synchronously with thecement passing means for admitting a regulated quantity of mixing waterto the chamber surrounding the spout and thence over the spout andthrough the water passage to said mixing chamber.

2. A cement mixer comprising an elongated mixing chamber having anupwardly projecting inlet spout and an outlet, agitating means arrangedwithin the chamber and operative to mix and move laterally the contentsthereofla hopper disposed above and having a skirt portion projectinginto the spout and providing therewith a water passage to said chamber,a 4

housing defining a chamber surrounding and above the spout, means forpassing a predetermined quantity of cement into the mixing chamberthrough the skirt portion, said means including a. rotary valveoperatively disposed in said skirt portion above the housing and meansfor driving said valve, a connection between a

